1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to roll holders, and more particularly to roll holders including friction brake mechanisms to prevent free rotation of tissue rolls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of roll holders which include brake devices have been proposed for preventing paper rolls, such as toilet tissue rolls, from rotating freely and unwinding excessive amounts of paper or toilet tissue. The problem of excessive unwinding of toilet tissue is frequently vexing and expensive, especially in public buildings, hotels, motels, and the like. Patrons of such establishments often carelessly tug unnecessarily forcefully on the free end of a tissue paper roll, dispensing far more tissue than is necessary. The extra tissue frequently clutters up the bathroom facilities of public buildings, increasing janitorial costs and unnecessarily wasting tissue paper. None of the devices proposed for overcoming this problem have yet found widespread acceptance because they are unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,379 discloses a tissue holder brake mechanism including a spring member which is inserted into one end of a tissue roll. The spring member has a U-shaped cross sectional configuration which exerts opposed forces against the tissue roll and a roll holder arm, producing a frictional braking action on the tissue roll. However, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,379 is unsuitable for use with most commercially available roll holders, especially roll holders of the recessed type, which often have only approximately an eighth to a quarter of an inch space between the end of the tissue roll and the roll holder arm. Further, the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,379 tends to force the opposite end of the tissue roll against the opposite roll holder arm, thereby tending to fray the tissue.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a roll holder brake which is useable in conjunction with most commonly available roll supports, including preinstalled roll supports of the recessed type.
Another object of the invention is to provide a brake system which avoids fraying of paper or tissue on the supported roll.
A novelty search directed to the present invention uncovered the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,618,342; 2,699,903; 2,749,056; 2,889,122; 3,318,543; 3,770,221; 3,918,661; 4,149,680 and 551,040. The brake schemes disclosed in the above patents suffer from a variety of shortcomings, including the shortcomings of being unduly complex and expensive, of being unsuitable for use with conventional roll holders, and of causing damage to the rolls of paper or tissue. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide a paper roll holder brake device which avoids the various shortcomings of the above references.